Ground Zero, BA

I went to Bukit Antarabangsa landslide scene today. I have no business there but since its so near to my work place & monday blue overwhelmed me, me & my site stuffs decided to organise a "lawatan sambil belajar" to the place after having our lunch.

I havent go to that area since 2 yrs ago. so, i actually took the long way i.e. taking the mrr2 exit at taman ukay height. this area never fails to charm me. 5 minutes steady climb over the winding road, I could smell the sweet forest aroma, birds chirping all around & some dozens of monkeys having their siesta by the roadside.

Further up the hilly area, my heart started to sink. besides the old housing terraces on the flat terrain, there r at least 6 housing projects goin on along the taman melawati road, all sit on alarmingly steep slope. some slopes has developed partial erosion and minor landslides can be seen all over the place. maybe its due to recent continuous rainfalls. water can be seen gushing down thru these long narrow staggered u-drains from top of the hill.

we just kept goin on the narrow road till reaching the police temporary posts. yep, this is ground zero. the scene infront of me sent a violent shiver straight to my heart. i never seen anything like this, its like this place was struck by eart quake or hit by a bomb. the premix road is all rippled up & down like M. few houses r tilted so unrealistically , 30deg i think. things like this only appear in dali's paintings. I chatted with a few mpaj workers. they said it looks much better now as tons & tons of mud & trees had been exported out of the place for the past one week.

To my surprise, there is actually no new development in that section. the entire slope was actually covered with primary trees before it gave way and hammered into the bungalows below it. on top of slope, the 5 storey low density condo is hanging on. gosh! if the slide extends 20m or so during the incident, the entire condo will be tumbling down the hill before it hits the bungalows!!!

but one thing does provide a sign this ground is dangerous. stream water can been seen gushing thru the temporary drain just meters away from the bungalow. it wasnt even raining yesterday. maybe there is some truth on rumour that cascades used to run thru this area before the bungalows r built.

i have some mix feelings for the affected residents. they knew they sit on danger ground but cant resist the temptation nature can provides here. each bungalow here is so tastefully built and must have costed >3 mil.

i dunno who to blame. at least the state government is offering some help both mentally & finincially tho i dun think the millionaire residents need the later. rm10k for the damaged house is a joke but a good gesture. federal government is doin absolutely nothing positive til now, except the usual ban & review procedure. if all the projects r freezed, i can bet my entire fucking savings, my house plus my dog the unprotected fresh slopes will topple one by one in 6 months time. good job again, najib & ong ka chuan.

on the way back, we stopped by the original highland tower site. is this what gonna to happen to the scene we just went just a few valley away?rc frames covered by thick bushes, heaven for drug addicts, perfect filming scene for horror movies while the owners still paying their monthly home mortgage til today?